1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pipe joint seals for coupling adjacent ends of aligned pipe sections. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus which are used to connect the end of a broken piece of pipe whose threads have been broken and further a pipe which is located in a generally difficult to reach area such as the wall of a house, to thereby render the pipe operative without the necessity of breaking open the entire wall to remove the pipe and replace it.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, pipe joint seals for coupling adjacent ends of aligned pipe sections are known in the prior art. The following patents are representative of the known prior art:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,933 issued to Luckenbill on Aug. 3, 1971 for "Joint For Plastic Pipe".
2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,093 issued to Seiler on May 15, 1973 for "Pull And Push Safety Device For Screw Socket Connections Of Pipes".
3. U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,413 issued to Boisserand on May 7, 1974 for "Device For The Connection Of Cylindrical Members".
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,560 issued to Wyss on Jan. 15, 1980 for "Arrangement For Making A Spigot-And-Socket Joint Secure From Sliding".
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,863 issued to Lasko on Jan. 17, 1978 for "Pipe Joint".
6. U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,501 issued to Bowan et al. on May 25, 1965 for "Electrical Insulating Pipe Coupling".
7. U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,427 issued to Newcomer on Dec. 6, 1966 for "Deep Sea High Pressure Cable Entry".
8. U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,794 issued to Wise on Dec. 8, 1970 for "Compression Joint".
U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,413 to Boisserand discloses a device which has a pair of smooth wall tubes which are screwed together. Specifically, a deformable ring "3" is placed in a groove inside male member "2" and a nut "5" is then freely moved over the male member so that it provides threads on its outer surface. The female member pipe "1" is then screwed onto the outer surface of the nut "5" so that the ring "3" provides a seal between the two members "1" and "2" as well as the nut "5".
U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,560 to Wyss shows a spigot and socket joint which includes a sealing ring "6" and a placement ring "8" to help the threaded members become screwed together. However the embodiment requires the use of clamping members "11" and "12" so that the two pipes are clamped together. This is a much less efficient process although use of the rings "6" and "8" is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,863 to Lasko discloses a pipe joint to fit together a thin walled steel pipe "12" and a companion fitting part "14" having threads on its internal surface. A packing ring "21" is fitted between the two pipes. The pipe includes an annular groove "20" near one end in which there is received a compression ring "22". Also provided is a compression nut "30" including a sleeve part "32" having external threads "34" which engage the internal threads "18" of the mating pipe. The nut is held in place relative to the pipe against the packing ring which is in the groove.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,933 to Luckenbill discloses a joint for a plastic pipe wherein the joint "10" includes two moveable members which is a body member or fitting "12" and a follower member "14.about.. An annular gasket seal "18" is between them.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,093 to Seiler shows means for interconnecting a pair of pipes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,501 to Bowan discloses an electrical insulating pipe coupling.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,427 to Newcomer discloses a deep sea high pressure cable entry having various interconnecting members with sealing rings between them. In each case the design is to have various shoulders that abut the male threaded member and prevent it from going further after it is screwed onto the female member which is exterior to it.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,794 issued to Wise discloses a compression joint. In this case, the member "14" has an internal groove for receiving the smooth pipe "12" which abuts against an interior shoulder. A locking ring "26" is disposed between an exterior nut "20" which slides on the smooth pipe "12" and is threaded onto the interior pipe "14".
In general, all of the prior art discloses various arrangements for interconnecting two pipes. A principal disadvantage of all of the prior art arrangements is that it is absolutely necessary to have easy access to both pipes in order to create and join the interfitting elements. There is a significant need for a system and apparatus which enables two pipes to be joined in a difficult to reach area and further enables them to be joined when the threads of one of the pipes has been broken and has become inoperable.